BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE SIOP Component 2 Sheltered Instructional

BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE SIOP Component #2

Sheltered Instructional Observation Protocol S. I. O. P. – 8 Components, 30 Features Lesson Preparation – – – – Building Background Comprehensible Input Strategies Interaction Practice/Application Lesson Delivery Review/Assessment

Building Background Knowledge • ELs, whether from a consistent or inconsistent educational background, have a world of experiences different from students growing up in the US and US schools. It is important to bridge those gaps in their background knowledge. • “Effective teaching takes students from where they are and leads them to a higher level of understanding. ” (Krashen, 1985) p. 53

Three Features of Building Background Knowledge Feature 7: Concepts Explicitly Linked to Students’ Background Experiences Feature 8: Links Explicitly Made between Past Learning and New Concepts Feature 9: Key Vocabulary Emphasized (e. g. introduced, written, repeated, and highlighted for students to see)

TPR #7 - Concepts Explicitly Linked to Students’ Background Experiences “Individuals with knowledge of a topic have better recall and are better able to elaborate on aspects of a topic than those who have limited knowledge of the topic. ” (Vogt, 2005). P. 54 “Schemata are the reader’s concepts, beliefs, expectations, processes – virtually everything from past experiences – that are used in making sense of things and actions. In reading, schemata are used in making sense of text…” p. 54 Chapter 3: #1

Activating Prior Knowledge vs. Building Background Knowledge u Activating a student’s prior knowledge is helpful because. . u Activating a student’s prior knowledge isn’t helpful when… u Building background knowledge is necessary when….

What to do when students lack background knowledge? 3 Interventions to use when students lack background knowledge 1. TEACH VOCABULARY!!! 2. Provide meaningful EXPERIENCES. 3. Introduce students to a CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK. Christen & Murphy (1991)

1. Pre-teach Vocabulary Select words that are CRITICAL for understanding a lesson or text. – Come up with a linguistic (student friendly description) and non-linguistic (gesture or image) representation of the word.

2. Provide Meaningful Experiences Virtual experiences can be as effective as direct experiences in developing background knowledge. The more authentic and relevant an experience is, the greater the likelihood of the information being stored in the permanent memory.

Meaningful Experiences Bring in realia or use supplemental materials. Watch video clips PRIOR to starting a unit. » Why would it be important to watch the video before the unit instead of after? Go on a field trip Use picture books Bring in a speaker

3. Conceptual Framework Graphic organizers (It could be partially filled in according to student needs) Preview the text with students and go over key ideas Provide students with chapter outlines

Activities to Build Background Read picture books to build background Pretest with a partner. » This allows ELs the opportunity to preview concepts and vocabulary that they will be assessed on at the conclusion of the lesson or unit.

Activities to Build Background Use the Insert Method on a lifted-text to introduce a topic Annotate the text: • A check mark (P) indicates a concept or fact that is already known • A question mark (? ) indicates a concept or fact that is confusing or not understood. • An exclamation mark (!) indicates something that is unusual or surprising • A plus sign (+) indicates an idea or concept that is new to the reader. When the partners finish reading and marking the text, they share their markings with another pair of students. If misconceptions or misunderstandings are cleared up, then the question mark is replaced with an asterisk (*).

Activities to Build Background Plot charts provide ELs with an opportunity to learn about popular figures / events / short stories in a concise way. Here is an example: Somebody: Anne Frank Wanted: To hide from the Nazis So: She hid in an attic and never went outside. But: Someone turned her in So: The Nazis arrested her and took her to a concentration camp. In the end: She died in the concentration camp. A

TPR # 8 - Links Explicitly Made Between Past Learning and New Concepts The teacher must build a bridge from previous lessons and concepts to today’s lesson. Many students do not automatically make such connections, and all students benefit from having the teacher explicitly point out how past learning is related to the information at hand. (Tierney & Pearson, 1994)

Building the Bridge Questioning: “Who remembers what we learned about…. ? ” “How does that relate to this chapter? ” Review graphic organizers, notes, powerpoints, or smartboard notebooks Preserve and refer to anchor charts, maps, illustrations, photos, and vocabulary words

TPR # 9 - Key Vocabulary Emphasized Teaching vocabulary is essentially synonymous with teaching background knowledge. • Vocabulary words are labels for packets of information we store in our permanent memory as background knowledge. • There is a correlation between vocabulary knowledge and academic achievement, and vocabulary knowledge and overall intelligence. Marzano (2004)

Three Categories of Academic Vocabulary Words 1. Content Words: terms related to specific content areas 2. Process/Function Words: • • Functional Language: share with a partner, discuss, line up, graph, list, classify. Language Processing: skim, scan, debate, argue, summarize Transition Words: therefore, in conclusion, furthermore Sequence Words: first, then, next, finally, at last 3. Words and Word Parts That Teach English Structure: • Teaching students that words are formed with roots and vase words joined with prefixes and suffixes will help them figure out the meanings of words they come across in a text. (p. 61 SIOP)

Marzano’s Characteristics of Effective Vocabulary Instruction Use student friendly descriptions, not definitions Use linguistic and nonlinguistic representations (gestures, draw pictures) Gradually develop word meanings (discuss what they mean in different contexts) Teach students how to use word parts Use different types of instruction for different types of words (ex: verbs always show a relationship between two nouns so explicitly tell the students this) Students need to discuss the terms they are learning Use games Focus on academic vocabulary relevant to the curriculum being taught

Marzano’s Steps to Guide Vocabulary Instruction Step 1 – Teacher describes the vocabulary term. Step 2 – Student writes their own description of the term. Step 3 – Student creates nonlinguistic representation of the term. Step 4 – Students periodically do activities that help them add to their knowledge of vocabulary terms (word sorts, concept definition maps) Step 5 - Students discuss terms with peers. Step 6 – Students play games using the terms.

Four Square Vocab Model

Flyswatter Game 1. Post words from a unit on cards and put them on the wall or write them randomly on the board. 2. Give 2 students a flyswatter. 3. Describe the word and see who can swat the word first. 4. Pass the flyswatters on to two more students. You can make it competitive with teams.

Situation Generation Pose a question using the target vocabulary and have students create a situation that applies. For example: -Name the setting of a story you recently read. -What would be an example of a cause / effect? -Give me an example of when you would want to estimate an amount instead of finding the exact amount.

Password Student A List Invertebrate Ecosystem Vertebrate Factor Student B List Product Biome Author’s Purpose Prediction

Concept Definition Map What is it? I Have…. Who has Word Sorts Term Personal Dictionaries Jeopardy What are some examples? What is it like?

Other Games/Ways to Work with Words Word Sorts Personal Dictionaries Jeopardy

Take 2 minutes to reflect on your current vocabulary instruction and write 2 – 3 sentences explaining how today’s presentation has affirmed or changed your thinking. A

TPR Total Physical Response Props / realia Gestures Images Charades Verbal and visual clues A